Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-08-19
JESUS AND THE LAW.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV. r.
S. M'ARTHUR, D. D.

CThfrd quarter Tor sunday, Aug. II.
Text of the Lesson, Matt. v, 1920. |
Golden Text, Matt. v, IL.
V. II. Think Not-Many In the great
crowd present evidently expected that Christ
would abrogate portions of the law and in
troduce revolutionary changes. The knowl-
edge of the disciples was imperfect. and they
may have thought that he was speaking in
opposition to the teachings of Moses. Now is
the time for him to correct these false notions
and to declare fully the principles of the new
kingdom. l am come-or came. This form
of expression is common to our Lord; it inn
plies his pre-existence and suggests his COM
ing for a definite purpose. To destroy
When applied to material things, this word
means TO loose, to pull down, to dissolve. 1t
is so applied to the temple Matt XVI, ely, and
in ii Cor. v, l, to the dissolution Of the body
under the figure of a building Here it
means to set aside, as If the law were super
seded, as null and void. This was not Christs
purpose. The law and the prophets -This
form Of expression takes in all the Scriptures
of the Old Testament. The five books of
Moses are spoken of as the law; the other
Scriptures as the prophets. Sometimes the
Psalms were added All his hearers under
stood the reference Of these terms. Fulfill
To make full, to complete. Christ came, not
to contradict, but to complete the law. Law
and gospel, rightly understood, are one.
Jesus carried the teachings of Moses to their
rightful conclusion; he lifted them to a higher
plane-to the inward thought as well as the
outward act. He makes hatred murder and
a certain look q crime. He fulfilled the law
by keeping it fully, by suffering as our sub
stitute its penalty, and by accomplishing in
his own life all its requirements.
V. IS For verily.-Verily in Greek is
amen. This is Hebrew adjective meaning
firm, reliable, faithful. true Till heaven
and earth.-This is proverbial express
sion, and is probably equivalent to never.
| Jot.-The translation of the Greek letter
iota. 1t represents the Hebrew letter yodh,
and corresponds to the English /. Title
Strictly speaking, this word means "little
horn" the small point at the edge of
some Hebrew letters to distinguish them from
others. With US the word title means any
thing very small. So it is here used As
has been often said, the expression is equiva-
lent to the not dotting of an or the crossing
of q t. Fulfilled.-That is, come to pass.
V. 10 This is a solemn and also an ell
couraging verse for Sunday school teachers.
Because God designs the law to stand intact,
therefore to break, and especially to teach
others to break, one Of its least command
ments, its jot or little just named, is a great
sin. Shall be called.-Shall be and also shall
be called, i. e., be recognized be considered as
such. There are differences of attainment ir
the Christian life here and hereafter Those
who follow Christ's precepts partially may
be saved; if they build on him as the founda
ton they will be saved; but it may be as by
fire, while the hay and the stubble will b
burned. Those who follow his precepts fully
shall have an abundant entrance into thu
kingdom.
V. 20. The connection here is plain Tha
the men who break the least commandment
shall have lower place is certain; for, unles
a man have Righteousness in advance of tina
of the scribes and Pharisees, he shall no
enter heaven at all. Righteousness.-Thi
means personal recttude, right doing. Shal
in no case-By no means, not at ALL 1t is al
intensive formula and represents the doubl
negative in Greek, which, according to tn
idiom, emphasizes the negation.
" p. The great Teacher now goes into tn
exposition of the spirit of the law in opposi
ton to the Interpretation given by the Phari
sees, with which the people were familiar
There are in all six examples cited Ye hav
heard.-Strictly, simply heard Such state
ments they had often heard in the public ey
? positions of the law. By them of old time
This expression is the rendering of two Gree
words; more literally, to them of old, or t
the ancients. These expounders emphasz
the letter of the law; Christ exalts its spirit
Judgment-Th is the lower court whic
was in every city (Deut. xvi, 49,, and had tn
power of puttii & to death with the sword
according to Josephus 1t consisted of seve
persons.
. V. %. Here Christ speaks with great at
2 thority. l say unto you.-He is an authorit
: unto himself The author of the law is til
A best expounder of the law. He sweeps pas
l the outward act to the inward motive. Hatre
{ is murder q John iii, l5). Now comes the e1
: PLANTATION of the three degrees Of anger, wit
, their corresponding punishments. With h
brother words "without a cause" al
omitted in many manuscripts and in the R,
vised Version Raca.-This Is an Aramai
word. 1t expresses supreme contempt,
equivalent to a worthless fellow, a good &c
! nothing, an empty head, blockhead. Cour
1 cil.-This is the Sanhedrin, the highest, til
a supreme court Of the Jews. Fool-This vert
and these epithets have troubled many. tt
o punishment seems greater than the sin woul
warrant; but we must remember that the 81
1 lies in the spirit which prompts the word
K He'll f1re-This word is, literally, the Gehenn
n of fire The word Gehenna is made up
two Hebrew words, meaning the Valley
Hinnomn This was situated south of Jerus'
! LEM in one part of 1t children were at OF
time sacrificed to Moloch, into whose fer
arms they were cast. They were the
/, dropped by a mechanical continuance int
u the fierce fires in the interior of Il
horrible image. The place was also Gale
= Tophet, name derived, some say, from TOpl
drum, because drums were vigorous
beaten to drown the cries of the sufferir
children, There is another derivation, HOY
= ever, for the word Josiah, the last goc
y king of Judah, as we see from II Kings, xxi
- 10, defiled this place by making ii the repo
itory Of the offal of the city. In later tim
l. it became the place where the bodies of not
9 rious criminals were burned. Then it eau
n to represent the place of punishment of Il
Is wicked isaiah xxx, 33). In the New Test
n ment it is found frequently and used in tn
If sense. Christ empha sizes il as place Of to
q ment 1t has been suggested by several cor